Home Style Week! Turn Any Room Into A Glorious Guest Room In No Time…

This week’s summer spotlight is Home Style… Let’s review The Pack Rat’s Guide To Create a Guest Room on the fly

In this life, most of us manage to pack every room within an inch of it’s wainscoting. So please don’t dwell in the dust bunnies of red carpet despair, use this opportunity as your jolt of java to wake up your inner accommodating host. With just a few of-the-manner-born prompts, any room can be turned into a pleasing, glorious guest room at a moments notice.

What time is better than the present to sit down and sort through all that countertop/closet/dresser drawer/behind the couch build-up that clutters up your decorating domain? If only the room that your guest will be sleeping in.

No matter what, we want our houseguests to feel comfortable, welcome, and to be able to discover their own little place for privacy. Before your stress level hits the roof, focus on the fact that your best friend is coming to see you and not your house and in no time you can become a well-oiled hospitality machine.

First off, stash away your personal “unsightlies” or extraneous doodads that are not used too often in clear plastic boxes that nestle under the bed. Clear boxes are fabulous because if you get lazy unpacking them later, you can easily see what’s inside.

Anything else that creates a sense of disarray can be kept in beautiful display boxes or trunks labeled for easy access. You may even want to keep a couple of these beautiful storage boxes empty so guests can use them as a seat-of the-pants storage space.

Clear out a bureau drawer or two and place a welcoming lightly scented sachet inside, with a few protective sheets of tissue to line.

Place an empty decorative tray on the dresser top so your guest has a visible place to stash keys, jewelry, and other easy to misplace essentials. Leave your extra set of house keys here too, but be sure your spare keys are color-coded to avoid any at the door shuffling.

Use a pretty press kit folder from the stationary store to hold local area, subway, and bus maps, emergency phone numbers, and a list of favorite close-by newsstands, delis, and cafes.

Allow at least half a closet for hanger space… use different color hangers than the ones you use for yourself so sharing doesn’t turn into an impromptu game of hide and seek.

If you don’t have a spare bedroom, or a pullout couch, use an air mattress, but do make it up in pretty linens to create a “real” and inviting place to sleep rather than a crash pad. Tip: Select flat sheets in the closet size to the air mattress to guarantee a snug fit.

Keep a set of fresh towels in the sleeping area if your guest has to share a bathroom-this will avoid any awkward feeling of using the wrong towel. Liquid soap is a hygienic plus for sharing bathrooms.

Electronically equip the sleeping area with an alarm clock. One that also includes a descent reading light and some electric outlets to recharge a cell phone or plug-in a laptop makes for less nightstand clutter.

If you have a travel-size steamer or iron, leave it available for your guest, otherwise point the way to the touch-up area in the house.

Most important, clear a path to prop luggage– just in case your guest is the type who prefers to live out of suitcase rather than with all your niceties… ooooh well.

Originally Published: 1999

About Sharon Haver

Thanks for reading my post!

My pleasure is to help women feel confident in their style so that they can confidently pull their look together every day with ease!

Beyond the magazine and commercial photo shoots that I as styling, on or off a photography set, there was a need to make style more accessible to those who wanted that extra boost of self-esteem whenever they got dressed. I founded FocusOnStyle.com back in 1999 as an extension of my syndicated Focus on Style newspaper column in a next level way to share my insider fashion stylist tips so that you can learn what it takes to become the stylist in charge of your own style.

As resident fashion expert & style mentor- with just about 3 decades of professional experience in the glamour industry as a New York-based photography fashion stylist, syndicated columnist, contributing editor, lecturer, on-air television/radio fashion expert, spokesperson, entrepreneur and founder / editor in chief of FocusOnStyle.com - I know what the modern-thinking woman wants when it comes to easygoing style that suits her individual needs, spiced with just the right amount of flip and wit to make it personal.

Become a FocusOnStyle Insider- If this post resonates with you and you want to stay in Sharon's loop to receive free tips and announcements that she only shares with her Insiders, jump on the list and receive a FREE copy of "Passport to French Chic" as a gift for joining her.

Are you tired of piecing it all together and want to go further faster in developing your own personal confident style? Spend 8 weeks with me to bring to light a personal chic style that suits your personality, values, and body so you can stop feeling overwhelmed and underrated.

I created the C'est Chic Crash Course step by step style mentoring system because ‘fashion’ doesn’t work for most people.

My signature online program has all you need to know to learn how to confidently rule your own personal chic so you can have the extra boost of that certain something that comes when you feel self-assured to confidently go on with the rest of your day... in style!

Sign up for the introductory video series for FREE! No credit card required.